bushido_man96

Those videos looked pretty good. I liked the second one. However, I wonder how many more techniques they could have blocked if they would have had their hands up?

You might ask to see if you can practice with a wrestling club on campus as well.

When it comes to the kicking arguement, this is a point that an instructor of mine made one time: "If two guys are sparring with each other, and they both know that the other will be trying to kick them in the head, and the guy can still get it done with the other ready for it, then why wouldn't it work on a guy who has no idea you are going to kick?" Now, I am not saying that you should kick away head-height in a fight, nor will I train my students to do so. However, it does make a little bit of sense. There has also been an upswing in the amount of head-kick knockouts seen in the MMA competitions as well, don't you think?

This is the point I was getting at, ps1. These styles all have training methods that make the practice of the style more immediately transferable to the MMA ring. I think that other style can have success, however, they have to abandon some of their more 'tradtional' training methods to make time for the ring training.

That is very interesting info, NightOwl. Thanks for sharing.

I think the idea of the 'cheap shot' came into being when various cultures decided to begin implementing rules into training for a sport and way of life, rather than combat.

I think that it is possible to get good at the martial arts farily quickly if you are learning it for self-defense purposes. If you are learning the basics of defending attacks, pre-emptive strikes, using simple movements to learn how to defend yourself, it can be done without a lot of years of experience. If you are talking about learning all of the nuances of a traditional style, such as advanced techniques (jumping kicks, spinning kicks, etc.), then it will take some more time. I won't teach a jump side kick to a student that has trouble executing a basic side kick. Most other instructors think this way as well. I don't know if this is what you are referring to or not, but this is kind of how I view these different aspects of MA training.

Thanks for the expanation, Ed. So, you did enjoy the KSW training?

Sounds cool. I have always liked to watch Caporiea, but have never had the opportunity to try it. When you go to compete, check with some judges about the sparring rules. They may not allow hand stands and the like. So check, just to be sure.

Ok, now with football season over, and Major League Baseball looming in the distance, I turn to NASCAR for comfort. Actually, I love circle track racing. I grew up around dirt track racing, and my dad even raced a stock car for about 5 years while I was a kid. My dad was a Dale Earnhardt fan, and my dad kind of got me started in NASCAR as well. My wife and I both enjoy the sport, and have fun watching it together, and even have gotten into arguements over it! I'm a Chevy guy, she is a Ford gal. I like Tony Stewart and Dale Jr., but don't mind seeing a few others win. My wife is a Carl Edwards fan. This keeps things interesting around the house during racing season. How about anyone else? I thought we could discuss the season here, as long as we keep it clean and controlled! Us race fans can be unruly at times!! So, Tony Stewart won his 3rd Bud Shootout last weekend, and what I got to see was pretty good racing. I don't normally like the restrictor plate tracks, but it went pretty well with only half the cars on the track as usual. A lot more fun, a lot less wrecks. Except that one at the very end of the race. You know those wrecks have to drive the car owners nuts! Also this week, there has been a few issues with Qualifying runs being thrown out. Matt Kenseth's car and Kasey Kahne's car were found to have illegal aerodynamics on them, and Michael Waltrip's car was found with a substance in the manifold, I think. He claimed it was oil. Anyhow, Kahne's and Kenseth's qualifying times have been disallowed. Rookie David Gilliland and his teammate Ricky Rudd are sitting inside and outside for the start of the Daytona 500 this weekend. I think it is the first time teammates have accomplished this feat. I can't wait until racing starts!!!

Well, the season is over, but the NFL never really rests, does it? The big news this week (as far as my limited knowledge takes me ) is with coaches. Andy Reid of the Eagles is takings a 30 day LOA to address some issues with his two oldest sons. I hope things turn out ok for him. In the long run, I don't think this will affect the team too much, unless things go south in a hurry. The other news comes from the West Coast. Marty Schottenheimer was fired by the Chargers on Monday, after posting the best regular season record in the league, and not to mention Chargers franchise history, at 14-2. Apparently, the Chargers are going to start over completely with the coaching staff, because they lost several assistants prior to firing Marty. They lost Cam Cameron and Wade Phillips, along with the Linbackers coach and tight ends coach. I think that the Chargers may really be hurting, because most of the coaching vacancies in the league have been filled, and I am not sure who is left looking for a job at this point.

Best of luck to you and your club, Tom! Keep us posted!

Mushin is actually the Japanese term for no-mind, or the idea of clearing your mind when in a conflict. It describes what you were talking about in your initial post.

I LIKE the PAIN!!!!

Bench angles work different muscles. Your buddy probably has a stronger upper chest and maybe shoulders, whereas you likely have stronger lower chest and maybe triceps. How do you compare on the decline? I don't do the decline, really. I did see a guy in the gym the other day doing 225 lb. reps on the decline. I thought to myself, "what a friggin' animal."

I know that one, I have a really heavy clutch and boy do I feel it good sometimes after training It's like needing a DD to get home from a tough workout!

What is included in your colored belt curriculum?

Yep!

I like the idea. Hopefully they can get a school on the west coast and one in the Midwest to offer similar programs. Imagine your job interview with "BA MMA" on the curricula vitae. Hehe, that would be cool. If there could be one here in the Midwest, I would be willing to give it a go.

This statement makes it sound like you have an awful lot on the table at once. Honestly, I don't think it would be necessary to study three styles at once right now. I would pick one and stick with it. As for the problems you have at your current school, I would say if you really don't like it, then try to get out of it. Go check out some other schools, and see what all they do differently. They may do things that reflect the goals that you have. Have you father go with you, so that he can see what you are trying to point out to him, and perhaps he will notice the differences as well. Best of luck to you!

Martial, by definition, means war. Most of the techniques that are taken from any fighting style, are descended from moves that worked directly in defense of life, country, family, etc. Included in these techniques are the "cheap tricks" like hair pulling, eye gouging, biting, groin kicking, etc. If you are defending yourself, and skip an opportunity to do something that you consider "cheap" because you feel that is not the way it should be done, then you end up doing yourself a disservice in the end. Especially if it ends up in your defeat. Whether it is pretty or ugly, fancy or brutal, a fight is a fight. Just my opinion, though.

I finished this book not too long ago, and I rather enjoyed it. It is kind of like a history lesson in the martial styles of feudal Japan. It covered many different aspects of the martial arts, and their relations to different social classes of Japan as well (not just the bushi class, either). It described various methods of weapon combat, including spear, sword, fan, bo, and such. Different schools of Jiujitsu were discussed as well, along with Karate and Sumo. It also delved into the various aspects as to why the warrior class adopted Zen and Buddhist beliefs to fit into their fighting methods. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and it was very informative. It even made use of the occasional MA anecdote, and is illustrated with some nice drawings, although I don't think they lend much to the reading itself, aside from breaking up the pages and saving the eyes a bit. Overall, a good read.

Hey, you're welcome. I hoped you could understand all that mumbo-jumbo I threw at you! It so much easier to show it than type it, sometimes! I like this medicine ball work. I would like to do more of it, but I don't have a steady partner, or a wall I can throw one against. 2-12-07: Chest and triceps today. Chest: Bench press: 145x10, 185x6, 204x4 Incline barbell bench press: 115x8, 125x6, 135x4....these frustrate me. I bench more than the guy I work out with, but he can kill me on the Incline bench. What's up with that? Cable crossovers: 50x10, 60x6, 70x4.....the last set was not good form. I will drop the weight next week. Triceps: Triceps pulldown: 80x10, 90x8, 105x6 Skullcrackers: 70x8, 80x6, 85x4 Dips: 2 sets of 5. Abs: Decline abs: 3x10x10 lbs. plate Side raises: 3x20x25 lbs. Hanging knee raises: 3x10 No Combat Hapkido work this afternoon, and class was canceled for tonight. This is probably a good thing, as I have come down with that crud that is going around. Hopefully, I'll get back to MA classes on Wednesday.

Don't forget about the multiple Godzilla attacks!!

Well, I was close. I was thinking of space as hard drive space. I didn't think of the space bar. Good pick up, cathal.